Project Description

Interview with

MICHAEL SWEET

from

STRYPER

18/07/18

Interviewer – Paul Tadday

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Photo taken in Las Vegas on 01/31/18.

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“It was the one point in our lives and in our career… the ONE point, where we felt likeThe Beatles!”

Fans of 80’s hair metal and melodic rock rejoice! STRYPER is on its way to Rock The Hell Out Of You! With a brand new album under their belt the veteran Christian rock quartet are returning to Australian shores for the first time in 8 years.

Stryper’s recently released album God Damn Evil is the band’s 12thstudio effort in 35 years and the band doesn’t seem to have skipped a beat. It’s a return to a Stryper sound that has become synonymous with band since its first EP, The Yellow And Black Attack, was released in 1983.

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Speaking to Michael Sweet (guitar/vocals) from his hometown of Boston, he spoke of his excitement about the direction that Stryper is currently heading.

“We’ve been listening to our old albums and catalogue a lot lately. It’s important for us to not venture too far away from that; and I feel that we did with albums like Reborn (2005) and Murder By Pride (2009). I think they’re really good albums. I’m very pleased with how those albums turned out, all things considered. But then, No More Hell To Pay (2013), Fallen (2015) and then especially God Damn Evil (2018) I think are a true return to form, one hundred per cent.

Some people really get up in arms about returning to the 80’s to a tee and making an album exactly like To Hell With The Devil (1986) and you know, that just wouldn’t work in 2018. We want to retain our sound and all those signature things that we have, but we don’t wanna repeat 1986 all over again.  But we’re really doing our best to merge the two (classic and modern sounds) to be relevant but then stay true to who we are, and what we were, and not walk away from that. 

There are even a lot of bands that are not trying to do that but still sound like they’re in 1986, and we don’t wanna be that band.  We want to constantly be evolving and stretching a little bit and experimenting, trying new things. That’s how you stay fresh. We’re known for harmonies. We’re known for a certain style of rhythms. We’re known for high-pitched screams and all of those things that people expect to hear, they still get that.”

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Michael Sweet is well known for his incredible vocal range; and for a singer who has just ticked over his 55thyear on this mortal coil it’s a voice that’s still in amazing condition.

“I drink two bottles of whisky and smoke a box of cigars every night (laughs)! Nah, I’m only kidding! I try to take care of myself. I’ve been really blessed with the ability to still sing. I don’t have the range that I had in 1985 and I don’t think I want that range. I really had a high voice back then and some people mistook me for a girl. Now I think my voice has come down a little bit in range. It’s a little grittier, a little deeper and I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.”

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I struck up a comparison between Michael’s voice and that of the brilliant James LaBrie from prog-metal legends Dream Theater.

“I respect James, very much so. I’ve heard that (comparison) from a few people over the years and I take that as an absolute compliment. I hear more often than not (a comparison with) Dennis De Young of Styx. And I’ll take that too, you know! Haha! But I grew up listening to everything from Styx to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Journey. I’m a big fan of the bands from the 70’s and the 80’s that really had great singers, great guitar players and great songs. And that’s instantly what I’m attracted to.”

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Michael is no stranger to the classic rock genre. In 2007 he wound up as lead vocalist and guitar player for Boston, a band that was also a major influence on his musical development growing up in California.

“At the time, my wife was sick and battling cancer and I was her carer. Boston’s always been one of my favourite bands and Brad Delp (original singer) had committed suicide, and it was just a really dark time in my life. And hearing that news, I was really bummed out about that. And I wrote something about what Brad meant to me as a singer. And Tom Scholz’s (original guitarist) wife wound up reading it. They called me up and invited me to come and sing at what was going to be their last show ever. I was one of many singers, Ann Wilson (Heart), Sammy Hagar (Van Halen/Chickenfoot), Mickey Thomas (Starship), a whole bunch of people. It turned into a situation where some of the singers dropped out and they asked me to sing more songs and play guitar. And apparently it went so well they ended up deciding to continue on and they asked me to join the band.

It’s run its course. I toured with them in ’08, Styx was the opening act… and I got to live out a dream, you know… a bucket list of playing with one of my favourite bands and touring with them. It was amazing. A few years later they didn’t tour again and I became very busy with Stryper. My wife had passed, I had re-married and we just got real busy as a band and I had to make a decision. Boston was gonna start touring again and I was gonna have to put Stryper on the shelf, and I didn’t really wanna do that. Stryper’s my baby and my priority musically, so I left Boston.”

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In 2009, Michael’s wife of 22 years, Kyle-Rae Sweet, passed away after a two-year battle with the insidious disease that is ovarian cancer. Michael revealed that he had a decision to make at that time.

“You know, my personality… everybody’s different. I was just talking to a dear friend of mine who’s written books and studies the mind and is an expert on that and he was explaining to me the different types of personality. Apparently, I’m a personality ‘type 3’, an over-achiever, a go-getter and I never stop. It’s just how I’m made. I had two options. Not do anything. Draw the shades and kinda just sit there doing nothing, or to continue on.

I had a few days of just doing nothing. And the thing people forget is that I was grieving for two years while she was sick and kind of knowing what was coming, from all the statistics and all the things we were hearing. And when she passed I just made a decision to just pick up and start moving immediately. And without question, that’s what she would have done because she was the same way. And that’s what I did. We hit the road and we went out on tour immediately. I had people scratching their heads saying to me – ‘what are you doing? You should take a year or two years off and grieve’ and do this and do that. And that’s just not me.”

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Those that remember Stryper’s rise to success during the 80’s will also remember the criticism they copped from both religious and non-religious corners of the community. Those who regarded their music and image as an attempt to ‘cash in’, using their Christian faith as means of gaining publicity; and that their message was anything but sincere. 

I asked Michael if he thinks the critics finally get it, now that the band has been around for 35 years.

“Well, first of all… anybody who has ever said that or thought that; which have been many over the years, are completely ignorant. Because, if you just break it down and dissect it, why in the world would we choose something that is not popular in the world, that is scrutinized and is torn apart, meaning Christianity, to try to make a buck? Wouldn’t you think we would choose something that would make us more bucks a lot faster?

We’ve been put under the microscope and just torn apart for 34 years. Although, we’ve got a lot of praise and people supporting us, which has been great, we’ve been really pretty shredded over the years. I mean we knew that would happen. But we certainly wouldn’t sit down and say okay, let’s come up with this gimmick and become a Christian rock band and sing about Jesus and wear yellow and black, so everyone can laugh at us and say we’re phonies and fakes, so we can make a little money. It’s just a really silly thought when you think about it.”

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Stryper fans will notice a change of personnel for the band this tour, with ex-Firehouse bassist Perry Richardson coming in to replace Tim Gaines, following his acrimonious split with the band almost a year ago.

“He has brought peace and harmony, and a completely new spirit to the band. Perry is a gentleman and just an amazing person. He brings so much to the band just in terms of his spirit. Add to that his talent and musicianship. His bass playing is phenomenal. He’s rock solid. He really locks in with Robert (Sweet– drummer) incredibly well and he’s an amazing singer. He’s one of the best harmony vocalist/singers in the world. He literally has perfect pitch and hits the high notes. Our three-part harmonies have never sounded better. So, we’re so thrilled to have Perry in our band. He’s amazing. Plus, he has all his hair! He has enough hair for all three of us!”

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Stryper is well renowned for being a band that tours extensively. Over a 35-year career (minus their 12 year hiatus from the early 90’s) they’ve spent a large chunk of their lives on the road. How does the band manage to endure the rigors of touring and spending so much time away from home?

“When we were young it wasn’t so tough because we enjoyed every moment. We didn’t miss home because we didn’t really have a home to go to. When we were 21, we were all single and had no kids and it was a different life. Now we have kids, they’re all grown mind you, but we have kids; we have wives; we have homes. We’re older; we’re all in our fifties to sixty. The travelling gets a little more tough on you, and everything that goes along with that. But, we still love what we do. And we enjoy it and that’s why we still do it. And as long as we do, we’re gonna continue to do it.”

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The future for Stryper is very clear to Michael. With more music to be written and played live for the next decade at least, don’t expect to see the band slow down and take an early retirement.

“Absolutely. I would say, speaking very realistically we would at least, if Lord willing and we stay healthy and we can do it physically, I would think that we could keep going until we’re 70… plus! Another 15 years maybe, which would mean at least another 3 or 4 albums and quite a few tours. So, I see no reason for that (retirement). We’ve been real busy over the last 10 years. So, if we have another run like we’ve had in the past 10 years, in the next 10 years, it’s gonna be amazing.”

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I asked Michael about his recollections of the band’s first trip to Australia in 1987, and particularly the pandemonium that ensued when the band arrived for an in-store meet and greet at the “Metal For Melbourne” record store.

“That was when we were all kids and now we’re old men! I remember it very clearly, we were going to do a signing at a little record shop and the limo pulled us up through the crowd, which was kinda crazy. And we should’ve gone through the back or through the roof, or something. We didn’t know all those people were gathered for us.

We thought it was a parade going on or something. Once we tried to get from the limo to inside, they were tearing our clothes. When we got in and they locked the doors they were breaking glass. Then a paddy wagon had to come and take us away! It was the one point in our lives and in our career… the ONE point, where we felt like The Beatles!”

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Stryper

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Stryper 2018

Australian Tour Dates

Friday 17th August – MELBOURNE Max Watts

Saturday 18th August – SYDNEY Max Watts

Sunday 19th August – ADELAIDE The Gov

Tuesday 21st August – BRISBANE The Triffid 

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Tickets On Sale HERE

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Follow STRYPER @ OneBigLink

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AMNPLIFY – DB